|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Please
note that Baptisms are conducted as a part of our regular Sunday
morning worship services on the 2nd Sunday in January, Mother's Day,
and Thanksgiving Sunday. Consideration will be given, however, to
requests for Baptisms on other Sundays. Requests for Baptism must be
submitted one month prior to the date of the Baptism. |
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
One of Life's
Big Moments |
|
Even in today's
largely secular world there are times when folks may feel the need to
turn to a church. These tend to be at the big moments of life; -
birth, marriage and death.
People may come to
a church when they wish to express their joy and gratitude at the
birth of a baby; or when they wish to express their love for and
commitment to a partner through the vows of marriage; or they may
come when they are mourning the death of a loved one, and in tender
thanksgiving commend him or her into the loving care of God.
At Harmony United
Church we acknowledge the importance of these times in the lives of
people and we offer our care and support to those who wish to mark
these milestones of the human journey in the presence of family,
friends, community and God.
|
|
 |
|
Baptisms at Harmony |
|
The birth of a child is certainly
one of the big moments in life. For people of faith there is a desire
to give thanks to God for each wondrous and unique life, and to
commit themselves anew to journeying with their children in the path
of Christian faith. Baptism is a celebration of God's love that is
already present for everyone, and it is a commitment to that love and
to our living it out in our lives. |
|
If you are interested in applying
to have your child baptized we ask you to read the rest of this page
and to download the brochure entitled "When You are Considering
Baptism for Your Child" and to complete the on-line Application
for Baptism form. We will contact you in the near future to
set up an interview with our minister to discuss baptism and to
answer any questions you may have.
|
|
What is Baptism
All About? |
|
In our tradition
baptism can happen at any age in a person's life. It symbolizes and
celebrates the grace and love of God for a particular individual, and
at the same time, for all people, whether baptized or not. It is also
an opportunity for individuals to publicly affirm their Christian
faith, and to commit themselves to following in the way of Jesus. In
the case of the baptism of a child it is not the person being
baptized who makes these affirmations but his or her parents who make
affirmations and promises on behalf of their child.
Baptism is a
ceremony that is formally called a Sacrament, and it is a ceremony of
Christian Initiation.
A Sacrament is a
sacred act, something that we do that points to a deeper reality. It
helps us to say that this is a special and sacred moment for us. So
in the Sacrament of Baptism we are involved in something more
meaningful than just putting water on a baby's head, just as in the
sacrament of Holy Communion we are doing more than consuming morsels
of bread and grape juice. We believe that these are special moments
in which our actions express something more than words alone can express.
Christian
Initiation is about make a new beginning in the journey along the
path of Christian living. In the early days of the Christian church
adults who became followers of Jesus became so aware of a change in
their lives that they needed a way of expressing this change, their
desire to leave their old way of being and living, and their
commitment to embrace this new way of being and living. Going down
under the water in Baptism and coming up again symbolized their dying
to their old way of life and rising anew to a new way of life.
Although in our tradition people are seldom baptized by going down
under the water, the meaning is the same. It symbolizes our dying to
an old way of life and rising to a new life.
In today's church
adults are baptized in a ceremony and sacrament of baptism that holds
this powerful meaning for them and for the church that surrounds and
supports them.
The most familiar
expression of the sacrament of baptism for our denomination tends to
be the baptism of infants and children. The meaning is still the
same. It is a sacrament of Christian Initiation. It represents the
beginning of the child's journey on the way of following Jesus. But
since children are not able to understand this at the time of their
baptism, the parents are the ones who promise to guide the child in
the way of Jesus, teaching him or her about the Christian faith
through the words and actions of their own lives. We the church
promise to help them. Therefore it is important that the parents be a
part of their church's life.
If you are
interested in talking to us about baptism for yourself or for your
child, please contact us. We will be glad to sit down with you and to
try to answer any questions you may have.
|
|
|
Click Here to download the
on-line "Application for Baptism" form. |
 |
|
or apply
using our On-Line Form. |
 |
|
|
|
Click Here to download the
"When You Are Considering
Baptism" Booklet . |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
NOTE: YOU WILL
NEED THE FREE ADOBE READER PROGRAM TO VIEW THESE DOCUMENTS. MOST
COMPUTERS ALREADY HAVE ADOBE READER INSTALLED. IF YOU NEED IT, CLICK
THE ADOBE READER DOWNLOAD BUTTON ABOVE. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
